“Are there charitable or community needs you would like to consider?”
There is a good chance that your clients already have charitable intentions or commitments that are important to them. Giving back to the community is a very common sentiment and something worth exploring with your clients. Not only can you help them find significant tax savings, but, as their advisor, you can demonstrate your own commitment to the community and to ensuring that your clients have a comprehensive financial plan.
Charitable giving is simply part of the conversation you have with your clients.
Which charities should you recommend?
One of the most difficult questions clients ask there advisors is “which charities should I support”? With the Community Foundation as your partner, this question is easy to answer. We have indepth knowledge of the needs in the community and will work with you and your client to ensure the client’s charitable giving goals are achieved.
We are passionate about ensuring that the client’s goals are matched with the best plan for giving to the community, even if that means helping the client direct their giving to an organization other than the Community Foundation.
When to introduce charitable giving:
Situations arise with clients where the topic of charitable giving is simply a natural part of the conversation. These situations might include
- estate planning;
- writing or revising a will;
- sale of a business or other major asset;
- retirement planning; and
- marking a milestone
- substantial RRIF assets
In many of these situations, an opportunity exists to provide special service to your client through a discussion of planned giving. You don’t need to be the expert on charitable gift planning, or which charities to choose, to make these opportunities available. Working with other qualified professionals to answer those details, when necessary, is a very powerful way to serve your clients.
One of the simplest and most important things you can do to help your clients enjoy the benefits of giving is to ask them the giving question:
